GameCity 8, EToo London and the joy of gaming events

A render of what Nottingham's Old Market Square will look like during GameCity8, with two massive interactive screens

Although E3 casts a considerable shadow over the annual gaming event calendar, the last day has shown that there are plenty of alternatives.

Last night saw the official announcement of GameCity 8, the latest instalment in Nottingham's wonderful annual celebration of game culture. This year, there will be no large tent in the Market Square; instead, the organisers are erecting two huge interactive screens in the space to show game content, while several venues around the city will host the rest of the event. Guest stars are set to include Phil Fish (Fez), Richard Lemarchand (Uncharted) and Vlambeer (Ridiculous Fishing).

"It's impossible for us to ignore the recent discussion around diversity in the industry, and we need to play our part within that," says festival director Iain Simons who works with Nottingham Trent University on the programme. "Otherwise it feels like a waste of a perfectly good festival. What's the point of building this platform if you don't use it to make things better?

"This year more than ever, we want GameCity to be a place where people feel they can belong - whoever they are, and whatever they play. It's always been implicit I think in everything we've tried to do, but I think we need to say it a bit louder. If videogames are going to be a part of grown-up culture, they need to participate in it with the rest of the world."

Elsewhere, we have just announced EToo, a sort of alternative micro-E3, to take place at the Loading Bar in Soho, from June 10-13. This started out as a vague conversation on Twitter between myself and game developer Georg Backer, and somehow escalated into an actual 'boutique event' that is not only going ahead, but is backed by Sony PlayStation as well as PlayJam, the manufacturers of forthcoming Android console, GameStick.

That has all been a bit of a whirl. We just had this idea about celebrating the excitement of E3, but with an emphasis on indie developers and only a hint of mainstream – sort of the opposite of E3 in fact. We also have an ambitious and somewhat crazy plan to hold evening events that will livestream E3 commentary, analysis and trailers over the web.

Considering that Georg and I only really had this vague idea less than two weeks ago, it's incredible how much support we've received from developers and the gaming community. For us, this is a non-profit endeavour, our sponsors are meeting the costs; we just wanted to get the atmosphere of E3 and give people somewhere to hang out and find new games. And it seems a lot of people want to do that.

GameCity and EToo speak volumes about the inclusivity and positivity of gaming. The boundaries between 'players' and 'developers' are diminishing everyday with applications like GameMaker and Twine bringing development into the reach of gamers who never thought they could make their own projects. Meanwhile, developers are now much closer to their fanbases then ever before – the ability to distribute new titles directly to consumers via digital download, the ease with which social media allows the interflow of communication... all these are helping to turn the games industry into a network of close communities rather than a vast dictatorship of content.

There is still a lot to organise with EToo, it is a huge undertaking, it is madness really. But we have received so many offers of help, and so much interest – the spirit that crackles through more established events like GameCity, like Rezzed, like SXSW, expands outward. This is a scene that is happening, but it is for everyone who loves controlling pixels on screens; it is bliss to be involved.